Adam Tirapelle Inducted into Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame

ADAM TIRAPELLE
WRESTLING • 1998-2001
CLASS OF 2020

CHAMPAIGN, IL – A sparkling group of legends are all part of the 15-person Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020. The class includes athletes and coaches from nine different sports and covers athletes from 1901 through 2013.

The 2020 Hall of Fame class brings the total of UI Athletics Hall of Fame members to 80, covering 20 sports. The official Hall of Fame induction is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18, at State Farm Center when the incoming class will be honored in an event that is free and open to the public. In a change to the annual Fighting Illini schedule, the induction ceremony will fall on Varsity I Weekend when all former Illini are invited back to campus.

BIO

Adam Tirapelle helped Illinois finish fifth at the 2001 NCAA Wrestling Championships by taking the individual title at 149 pounds. It was Illinois’s best placing nationally since 1946. Tirapelle earned All-America honors three times and was the 2000 Big Ten Champion at 149 pounds. He holds the school-record with 15 pins in 1999-2000, ranks second on Illinois single-season wins list with 39, second in career wins with 127, is third in career pins with 33 and sixth in all-time win percentage (.858). Tirapelle qualified for the NCAA Championships all four years at Illinois, finishing second in 2000 and third in 1999 in addition to his 2001 title. One of the great leaders for the Illini, he was a three-time team captain and two-time Most Valuable Wrestler. Tirapelle was the 2001 Illinois Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year. He currently resides in Clovis, California.

Some of the best years of my life. Am I allowed to use “humbled and blessed”? Thanks Illinois for everything. 🙏 https://t.co/BAnDb6ytrc

— Adam Tirapelle, CIMA® (@adamtirapelle) April 7, 2020